Sharing Lessons Learned From Projects Openly

It's humbling to share when your projects didn't go well, but I know I learn as much or more from my failures - and hearing about others' - than just the successes. This week, I had an amazing experience: on a monthly meeting of managers and co-chairs, one leader shared her experience planning and helming a recent event. While the event was a successful, moving, and uplifting experience for everyone who attended, attendance was lower than all had hoped for. While this leader was embarrassed and upset at the low turnout, after a few days, she asked for time on the monthly meeting agenda to share her experience, why she had approached things the way she did, and what she learned that could make such an event more successful in the future. It led to a brainstorming and Q&A session, where other managers asked questions about handling similar events and shared their lessons learned or best practices. While it took more time from the meeting than usual, it was a much more interactive experience -- and several managers said they would approach their next project differently based on the candid discussion. This leader didn't have to do this - no one asked her to share this experience. She could have kept quiet and resolved to try things differently next time. But by humbling herself to share the good and bad of this event, everyone benefitted, including her, by learning new ideas from others. One new manager also said the authenticity of owning mistakes and open and supportive discussion around it comforted her as she approaches helming her first projects. Fake til you make it was the mantra I was taught in law school - but if we're all faking it til we make it, how do we know what each other is learning along the way? Putting down your mask of perfection and excellence is scary, but it will benefit you and everyone. And we're all making mistakes all the time - it's what it takes to get better at something. If we're not making mistakes, we're probably not trying enough new things (see a typical path to success that hangs in Professor Caitlin (Cat) Moon's office!) What's your experience with sharing your mistakes or failures with colleagues? Was it such a warm and supportive environment? #failure #mistakes #authenticity #support #growthmindset

Failing Is Good. Sharing Failure Is Great—Here’s Why (and the Difference) There’s a saying in leadership: “Fail fast, learn fast.” It’s useful, but here’s a more brutal truth I see every day as an executive coach—failing is good, but sharing your failure? That’s where greatness lives. Why? Because when you keep your setbacks to yourself, you learn and (hopefully) adapt. Good leaders do this all the time: they make mistakes, reflect quietly, and get a little bit better. But great leaders zoom out. They turn their tough moments—botched launches, missed deals, the uncomfortable conversations—into teachable stories for their teams. They debrief openly, admit what went sideways, and let others in on the real lessons. That’s not just transparency—it’s leadership with leverage. It shifts a culture from “hiding shortcomings” to “shared growth.” From my coaching chair, here’s what I see: → Teams led by “silent learners” improve slowly and in silos. → Teams led by “story-sharers” (even the humble, unpolished ones) build trust and adapt at light speed. My best work isn’t about helping leaders hide their failures. It’s helping them find language, timing, and confidence to share it: “Let’s dissect this together. Here’s what I missed, what I learned, and what I want us all to watch for next time.” The difference? Good leaders bounce back. Great leaders multiply learning. If you want to unlock not just your own growth but your entire team’s potential, start here: → Normalize quick, safe failure debriefs after every big project. → Model vulnerability. Admit you miss first. → Ask your people: “What would you do differently?”—and listen, really listen. → Set the expectation: we’re here to share learnings, not to get it perfect the first time. In leadership, it’s not how you fall that changes your culture; it's how you respond. It’s who learns—and how many—from how you get back up. Coaching can help; let's chat. Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Joshua Miller for more tips on coaching, leadership, career + mindset. #executivecoaching #leadership #professionaldevelopment #growthmindset #careeradvice #learning #success

I still remember the moment I read GiveDirectly's blog post openly admitting they'd been defrauded by members of their team in Uganda. 🤯 Most organizations would bury this information. They highlighted it. They shared exactly what happened, their investigation process, and the changes they made to prevent future errors. Instead of hiding their mistake, they leaned into transparency. Studies consistently show that strategic vulnerability builds more trust than projecting perfection. We're wired to trust people and organizations that show their humanity. We all instinctively know that nothing is perfect. The key is giving your flaws the right context. Pair it with a strength - what will you learn? Where will you go from here? 🔑 Effective transparency looks like: → Sharing real-time impact alongside setbacks → Revealing your finances in digestible ways → Creating spaces for honest conversations with stakeholders → Publishing external reviews (even mixed ones) → Empowering beneficiaries to tell their unfiltered stories In the nonprofit world, where donor skepticism runs high, authenticity is your most powerful asset. So, how is GiveDirectly doing in the decade since revealing this setback? Find out on the fully transparent financials page of their website: https://lnkd.in/emVYqvsR

In our weekly team meetings a client company, we have a segment called 'Lessons Learned.' Here, team members share an error they made during the week and how they rectified it. This not only encourages 'Micro-Learning' but also builds a culture of openness and acceptance around making and learning from mistakes. This approach is a significant step towards creating a psychologically safe environment - a place low in interpersonal fear where everyone feels safe and encouraged to share ideas, feedback, questions, and vulnerabilities. When we embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth and learning, we foster an environment of 'Learner Safety.' By doing so, we are not only encouraging learning but also cultivating an environment where everyone feels valued, heard, and safe to contribute their perspectives. But this is just the beginning. We must also strive to create 'Contributor Safety' and 'Challenger Safety,' inviting contributions and encouraging challenging the status quo. Every small, proactive step—micro-behaviors or affirmations—leads us towards building a psychologically safe and inclusively rich team culture. How are you fostering a psychologically safe environment in your organization? What steps have you taken, or plan to take, to encourage learning, contributions, and challenges? #PsychologicalSafety #InclusiveCulture #Leadership #MicroLearning